Worldwide productivity of tomato is threatened by biotic and abiotic stress factors. To sustain and guarantee an adequate yield of tomato crops, agricultural practices have been based on the intensive use of fertilisers with negative impacts on the environment. An eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to the traditional cultivation methods is the bioaugmentation approach, using tailor-made microbial consortia. Eight indigenous strains, isolated from the soil of “Terra-Sole” farm in the coastal plain of Pula (Sardinia - Italy), were selected in the laboratory for their plant growth promoting (PGP) functions. The beneficial effects of the bacterial formula, including genera Delftia, Pseudomonas, Paenarthrobacter, Phyllobacterium, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter, were tested in three subsequent field trials carried out at the company greenhouse, with different tomato varieties (Camone, Oblungo, Cherry). The results indicate that the inoculation of the indigenous bacterial formula repeated at the different stages of plant growth, regardless of the tomato variety, represents an effective strategy to obtain a fruit yield comparable to that obtained with chemical fertilisers. The application of proper biofertilisation could thus substitute the use of expensive and polluting chemicals without compromising the tomato yield.
Global tomato productivity is threatened by biotic and abiotic stressors. To support and guarantee an adequate yield of tomato crops, agricultural practices have been based on the intensive use of fertilisers with negative impacts on the environment. This study presents a simple and effective strategy of functional bioaugmentation, suitable for different varieties, to replace chemical fertilisation. A tailored microbial formula composed by eight indigenous strains (including the genera Delftia, Pseudomonas, Paenarthrobacter, Phyllobacterium, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter) was developed as biofertilizer. Strains were selected from native soil for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) functions, and combined respecting the taxonomic composition of the original PGP heterotrophic community structure. The effect of the bio-fertilisation vs chemical fertilisation was tested in three successive field trials in the company greenhouse, with different tomato varieties (Camone, Oblungo, Cherry). When bio-fertilisation was applied only twice during the Camone’s life cycle, tomato yield was significantly reduced (0.8 vs 2.1 kg per plant, p = 0.0003). However, monthly inoculation during plant growth led to a fruit yield comparable to that obtained with chemical fertilisers (about 1.5 kg per plant for Oblungo, and about 2 kg per plant for Cherry variety, p = 0.9999). Bio-fertilization did not significantly affect plant height; only during the last growing period of the Cherry variety, a significantly higher average plant height (p < 0.0001) was observed with chemical fertiliser. The results indicate that a knowledge-based bacterial formula and monthly inoculation during the plant growth can be a successful bio-fertilisation strategy. These findings may pave the way towards more sustainable tomato production, since farming practices are becoming increasingly crucial, in accordance with Agenda 2030 and the UE “Farm to Fork” strategy. Graphical Abstract
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